What is The Greenock Cut?

The cut is a narrow 5.5 mile long non navigable canal which once fed water from Loch Thom to Greenock for industrial and domestic use. Built by Engineer Robert Thom, it opened in 1827 and supplied drinking water to the town until it was replaced by a tunnel in 1971.

Amongst the industries fed by the cut were mills for wool, flax, paper and flour as well as a distillery and some heavy industries in the east of the town. The Fleming Reid mill near Overton had a 70 foot water wheel which powered more than 30,000 individual spindles.

The cut runs around Dunrod Hill and Cauldron Hill, at a height of around 500 feet, passing high above Spango Valley on the way to Overton. It was recently restored and the footpath improved to enable wheelchair access for much, if not all of its length and is also an ideal traffic free route for young cyclists.

How to get there

By road: Cornalees Bridge is clearly signposted in both directions from the A78 main road from Greenock to Largs.

By train: Take a Wemyss Bay train from Glasgow Central and get off at Drumfrochar to join the cut at Overton which is half a mile away. Or, stay on the same train to Inverkip and it's a three mile journey from there, up the picturesque Shielhill Glen Road to Cornalees. Either way, be prepared to climb some hills along the way! Bikes are carried free on these trains and there is no need to book. Look out for the cycle logo on the side of the train to show where the bike accommodation is located.

Greenock Cut Visitor Centre

The centre was renamed from Cornalees Bridge to the present name in 2010. It lies within the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. Much of the park is desolate moorland, which is an attraction in itself, but there are many other areas which can be easily accessed on foot or by mountain bike. Greenock Cut is one of several ranger manned visitor centres within the park which stretches from the moors to the Clyde Coast beaches.

The visitor centre is at Cornalees Bridge which makes an ideal start and finish point since a circular route is available if returning over the hill from Overton on the dirt track (not suitable for wheelchairs).

Hot and cold snacks are available at the centre or at the adjacent Ardgowan Fishery which appears to be open 24 hours all year round.

Loch Thom

This large reservoir fed the cut and still supplies drinking water to the town today. Water ran from here to the Compensation Reservoir before entering the cut.

Compensation Reservoir

Water flowed from the adjacent Loch Thom into this reservoir which in turn fed the cut, keeping the water there at a constant level. The first photo below shows the outfall from the reservoir which marks the start of the cut.

The reservoir is a stocked fishery which attracts anglers from many parts of Scotland and beyond.

Start of the cut

The cut starts across the road from the Cornalees Visitor Centre where the Compensation Reservoir feeds a header pool via a dramatic waterfall. It heads south briefly before turning sharply northwards towards Shielhill Farm where it passes under the road on the way around Dunrod Hill.

The cut skirts around Dunrod Hill and Cauldron Hill on its journey northwest towards Spango Valley. The canal is lined with clay and has stone walls for most of its length.

Some of the views from this section of the cut.

Spango Valley

Mention Spango Valley around Greenock and people immediately think of IBM and computers, but that industry has now gone too, joining the mills as just a memory. Fortunately, the derelict shipyards are not visible from the cut.

Some of the views from this section of the cut.

Southwest Greenock

The cut enters the town high above the Branchton housing scheme from where it is a short run to the end at Overton.

Overton

The cut ends at the Long Dam at Overton (first two photos below) which in turn fed the mills further down the hill in the town. It also fed the water works dams at Cowdeknowes.

This part of the cut offers views over the south of the town and the Tail o' the Bank.

Dirt track back to Cornalees

From Overton, it's a short down hill half mile to Drumfrochar station, or you can return to Cornalees Bridge by taking the dirt track over the hill. This road passes many of the small reservoirs which dot the area..